The Colorful Cabinet and a DIY holiday craft even I could do!

The wind must have been blowing in the right direction for my pictures to upload. This is the great blue cabinet that Debbie from Whimseys delivered to the Austin Antique Mall for me last week. I love all the open shelving space and hope to have this piece hanging around for awhile!

While at the Rusted Gingham Barn Sale earlier this month, the first table I saw had these great crafted Christmas trees.

I bought two of these trees - the smaller ones with decorative tissue paper and a larger one covered in coffee filters - genius! The closer I looked at these trees, the more I thought about how I could possibly make them! Now, I am by far the least crafty person. So for me to decide to do this, you know it has to be simple. On my way home from the Barn Sale, I stopped at Hobby Lobby and bought a tall cardboard style Christmas-tree shaped cone (which happened to be 50% off - I think I paid around $2 for it). I also picked up some tack glue and some glitter glue. Since I have given up my morning coffee habit, I probably have a few hundred coffee filters in my kitchen cabinets. I used the neutral tanish colored ones, but you could also use white.

Really the only directions are to fold the filters in half, and then cut out the center. Here is a picture I borrowed from Crafts by Amanda.

You can find more thorough directions on the above link, but her tree has more 'ingredients' and is a tad more complex. I take the simple route and just started at the bottom of the tree and glued the filters around. As you work your way up the cone, you will need to trim the filters and use a portion. The only thing I suggest is to not just slide the filter over the cone - it flares out in an inconsistent way.

Since I didn't think to photograph my tree while I was making it, here again is a stolen picture from Amanda's blog. This is what her's looked like as she worked her way up a styrofoam cylinder (note that these do not have pointed tops):

And here is my finished product, standing next to the purchased one:

I haven't yet added any glitter to mine, but I kind of like it in its rustic natural state! A simple craft that even I could manage. Now, creating a burlap banner with spraypainted holiday phrases was not so successful....oh well. I will stick to shopping for my booth rather than creating for it!

In case I do not post before the holiday, I want to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. A big thank you to the readers of this blog who make me want to continue to share my journey as a new 'antiquer.' I am thankful to have met so many wonderful people already in my short time blogging and antiquing.

I have so much for which to be grateful and I am thrilled to have spent fun times with lots of loved ones in the midwest this week! Check back for pictures of my trip with some amazing stores and displays!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Sarah

I love Llano!

I took a trip out west to my favorite shopping stops in the Hill Country last Saturday. Burnet and Llano never disappoint, and this trip was no exception. I will let the pictures and captions do the talking.


First up, Burnet:

Katty Korner  -  update: this quaint little shop closed :(

The newly-relocated DJ's Trading Post in Burnet (update: now called Finds!)

The Knot Hole

After Burnet, it is on to Llano (my favorite!!!). Here is the outside walkway to two of the best shops I have stepped foot in - Whimseys and Binky La Faye.

Bad glare on the amazing window displays at Binky's.

Great winter scenes at Binky's

How about this wedding dress Christmas tree with ornaments - so creative!  

Even more amazing (and professionally done) photos of Binky La Faye's can be found on her blog.

And wonderful Whimseys....



 I just love their color combinations - makes me realize not all beautiful displays have to be neutrals!

 And a treasure I passed on but have admired at least twice on shopping trips -

If this dress form is still standing on my next trip, it will be riding home with me!  I found some great goods that day and had fun saying hi to the friends I have made in these great small towns.

I checked my sales from the booth later that night, only to discover that my amazing craigslist cabinet lasted just 4 and a half days in my space!

I was in shock (and I have to admit sad) that it sold! Of course the goal is to move merchandise out the door, but I was so excited about how it looked and fit in the booth. So then I was in a panic to find a replacement. I had one in mind, but in the mean time, this is what I did to the booth last Sunday.

(Blogger is distorting the colors of all my uploaded photos tonight!) 

It was a temporary solution, as the green suitcase sold Sunday, but I already knew what I wanted to house more smalls - it was a great blue shabby shelving unit I saw at Whimseys in Llano last Saturday. A few phone calls and days later and it was on its way to Austin via one of the store owners and decorator extraordinaire, Debbie. I can't thank her enough for the delivery of this awesome piece! It was three inches wider than my SUV, so she hauled it to Austin in her truck. It looks even better than the other one and I hope I priced this one to stay for at least a little while! 

.....an hour later, the photos still won't upload. We have the full week off from school and I am happy to be home in IL on the sheep farm, but sadly the Internet out here on the prairie doesn't seem to function well! Hopefully I can get them up soon - so check back! Thank you for reading and have a great week!

-Sarah

Geronimo!!!!!

I have to say that this blog is expanding my horizons; I often find myself Googling words/phrases to learn more about the word's origin, the title of this entry notwithstanding. While I am familiar with the phrase, "Geronimo!", I wasn't sure why it became the top choice to shout when leaping through the air. Thanks to a Google search, I learned that Geronimo is the name of an American Indian legend who supposedly shouted his own name as he jumped to escape the United States cavalry. Completely unrelated, thanks to a second Google search this evening, is one of my favorite little towns to shop, Geronimo, TX (approximately 45 minutes southeast of Austin). I love the Blue Hills Antique Mall, as well as Glory B's Cottage. There are at least three other antique stores, but these two alone are worth the drive. Knowing that I could hit up these great shops on my way home from the Barn Sale in Gonzalez played a big role in my decision to venture that way last weekend....so glad that I did!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of either establishment, but I did buy a few smalls at each place on my way back to Austin and was so relieved to have a route home other than 183 through Luling and Lockhart. That route isn't the most picturesque of drives thanks to endless construction on 183. The trip from Gonzalez to Geronimo took me through Seguin, which has another great little shop, A Unique Boutique. Both here and at Blue Hills Antique Mall you can find the "Curious Boys" booths. I love their style! Here are a few pictures:

Their prices are great and their displays are eclectic vintage garden/industrial salvage; I bought a great little tarnished silver dish from them and wish I had gotten a few other pieces.

After shopping Seguin and Geronimo, I stopped in San Marcos at a Goodwill  - the best impromptu shopping stop yet! I visited Goodwill in Lakeway a few weeks back and was kicking myself for not buying a cool glass canister, so I though I would stop and see if there was anything I couldn't live without at this location. I stumbled into one of their live auctions; the place was hopping! They had a great Christmas display of ornaments and accessories up front, followed with trees behind the smaller items. I found this amazing rusty wire tree wrapped in twigs/branches (Google failed me here - how else should I describe it?). It was a total steal and is absolutely perfect - I am not sure I can part with it! It will look great wrapped in lights on the front porch. The other awesome holiday items I bought from Goodwill include vintage ornaments, a cool old tin with a wintry scene, a decorative brass French Horn, and a great tree topper. Convinced I hit the holiday jackpot, I stopped by an Austin Goodwill on my way home from jury duty this week at was sorely disappointed in the lack of Christmas merchandise. But I won't give up yet - still plenty more Goodwills to visit!

I spent this past Sunday afternoon giving my booth a full holiday transformation, and I am rather pleased with the results. Hope you get to check it out in person!

 The sled in the old grocery cart lasted less than 8 hours in the booth!

And my new great cabinet, a Craigslist find!

Happy Veterans' Day to all and a very special birthday to my good friend Lauren's new baby girl, Landry Catherine! 11-11-11 ...what a great day to be born! Congratulations to the proud new parents! 

Happy weekend,

Sarah



Barn Sale!

The Goods!



How excited was I to discover that there is a show called the 'Barn Sale' within a short drive of Austin. That sounds right up my alley! I started following the girls at Rusted Gingham and learned about their Barn Sale in Gonzalez. I got a decently early start on Saturday so that I could be there close to the show's opening; I needed a few extra minutes since my handheld intelligence somehow got me on the other side of town. How I couldn't find the show barns in a small town is beyond me, as it should be an innate trait I inherited and cultivated throughout my childhood showing sheep all over the Midwest! My detour did take me through some historical landmarks and even the town's water tower showcases a phrase with which all 7th graders in the state of Texas are familiar - Come and take it!

I finally got there and saw that the Texas High School Rodeo was also having a show at the barns, so it was packed with trailers and plenty of cowboys and cowgirls!

This show was most certainly worth the drive. Not only did I find some wonderful buys, but I also got some great ideas for easy to make holiday decorations and met some really nice vendors. Shout out to Tiffany at A Thrifted Market, who has amazing taste, wonderful displays, merchandise that inspires me to be crafty, and GREAT prices! I bought several items from her and needed to make two trips to the car; upon returning after the first, half of her merchandise was gone! She was nearly cleared out before noon! I might have to make a special drive to see her at her space in the near future. Great to meet you, Tiffany!

I was really eyeing a cool old industrial sink from a fellow Austin Antique Mall vendor, Salvaged. She had great displays and a constant stream of customers too!

Everyone was talking about what a great show it was. Even the bull was curious after seeing so many shoppers.

There is plenty more to write about my Saturday shopping, but I have to call it quits after a LONG day (and night) of jury duty....back at it tomorrow. Have a great night!

-Sarah

It's beginning to look...

just a little tiny bit like Christmas at Barn Chic Antiques. Just before I handed out way too much candy to the seven trick or treaters we had, I spent an hour of Halloween taking down the cobwebs and pumpkins and then putting out a few of my vintage ornaments.

Poor Thanksgiving - it gets totally passed over in the holiday decorating department.

Much more Christmas decor to come...looking forward to my Saturday shopping trip this weekend.
Happy almost Friday!